Respawn Nails It Again With Jedi Fallen Order

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away there used to be good Star Wars games. Since getting the license, EA has put out nothing but mediocre games shrouded in controversy, if they even released the games at all. Because of that, when Jedi Fallen Order was announced, it was hard to get excited about the game until the final product was out in the wild. Well, we now live in a world where the game has been released and it far exceeds all expectations. 

When Amy Hennig arrived at Visceral Games and announced she was making a Star Wars game we all had visions of what Star Wars Uncharted would look like. After Visceral was shut down by EA in 2017 and the game cancelled everyone was devastated at the loss of the studio and at having our hopes of a great Star Wars game once again crushed. After playing Jedi Fallen Order one of two things is certain. Either there are traces of that game in the DNA of Respawn’s newest masterpiece or both studios were doing similar things and the better game was released.  

Respawn is still a fairly new studio but one thing is certain, they do nothing but create brilliant games. After taking on their former franchise, Call of Duty, they took on Fortnite and held their own all on the road to deliver the best Star Wars game in over a decade.  

The emotions surrounding the Star Wars franchise have been so extreme over the past few years but, at the heart of them all, really lies disappointment. We were disappointed when Battlefront didn’t have a campaign. We were disappointed when Battlefront 2 had a terrible campaign and we have been disappointed when games were cancelled. So, what a breath of fresh air Jedi Fallen Order has been.  

Jedi Fallen Order is like your favorite Uncharted game only it’s set in the Star Wars universe with so many more bells and whistles. It’s a third person action game at the core, but with Souls lite combat and a skill tree that really changes the way you play the game as you progress. It was a brilliant move having the main character, Cal, lose some of his connection with the force during the Order 66 purge. This is a fantastic story telling piece that makes it feel much more natural as you learn new abilities throughout the game. As Cal regains his connection with the Force, you’ll learn a slew of new ways to take out the Empire. 

In the game you’ve been discovered as a Force user and find yourself on the run once again. After meeting up with a small group dead set on restoring the Jedi Order, you wind up on an adventure of a lifetime in order to do just that. With the help of your trusty droid, BD-1, you’ll be able to uncover clues leading all over the galaxy. If BD-1 isn’t on your list of favorite Star Wars droids, it really should be. You’ll fall in love with the little droid on your journey, and probably sooner than later. 

Respawn continues to create games that feel incredible and Jedi Fallen Order continues this legacy. The first time you dodge and parry a Stormtrooper’s attack and follow up with a menacing slow-motion blow of your own you’ll be hooked. Combat feels so good and it’s so much more than just a hack and slash game with lightsabers. Battles will take timing and patience in order to stay alive and continue on your journey. As you build up your skills, you’ll find enemies easier and easier to take out, but you’ll probably die quite a bit in the early hours of the game. When you die you lose any experience gained since your last save, but attacking the enemy that killed you will enable you to regain everything that you lost.  

Having some old friends show up, like the Inquisitors introduced in Rebels, has made Jedi Fallen Order that much more relatable to the fans.

Another staple in Respawn’s games is the wall run, it feels even better than it did in Titanfall 2. Running and jumping on multiple walls as your make your way across a chasm feels so satisfying and reaching the end actually feels like an accomplishment!  

This may be the best year for Star Wars since the 80s. Between the brilliance that this game is, Disney+ streaming The Mandalorian, and The Rise of Skywalker hitting theaters in December, Star Wars is back, baby… and I’m here for it all.